Taekwondo (also spelled Taekwon-do or Tae Kwon Do) is a popular Korean martial art. It combines combat and self-defense techniques with sport and exercise. Most Taekwondo schools also teach joint locks, forms, Korean terminology and some throws. Taekwondo is best known for its spectacular kicks (i.e. tornado kick and spinning hook kick).
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Development of Taekwondo
Taekwondo has been around for hundreds of years as a martial arts form (see History of Taekwondo section below). Nevertheless, modern Taekwondo was systemically formulated and organized by a variety of Korean masters during the 1950s.
The name taekwondo was coined by Choi Hong Hi (of the Oh Do Kwan). The World Taekwondo Federation claims that taekwondo development was a collaborative effort by a council consisting of members from the Nine Original Kwans, while the International Taekwon-Do Federation credits Choi Hong Hi solely.
Traditional taekwondo typically refers to the martial art as it was established in the 1950s and 1960s in the South Korean military and in various civilian organizations, including schools and universities. In particular, the names and symbolism of the both the traditional patterns and the newer poomsae often refer to elements of Korean history, culture and religious philosophy. This symbolism is replicated in the Korean flag.
Sport taekwondo was developed in the 1950s and may have a somewhat different focus, especially in terms of its emphasis on speed and competition (as in Olympic sparring). Sport taekwondo is in turn subdivided into two main styles. One style is practiced by International Taekwon-Do adherents and was created in 1955 by Choi Hong Hi. The other style derives from Kukkiwon, the source of the sparring system sihap gyeorugi. This style is now an event at the summer Olympic Games and is governed by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters) is the traditional center for WTF taekwondo and was founded in 1973 by Dr. Kim Un Yong.
Although there are doctrinal and technical differences between sparring in the two main styles and among the various organizations, the art in general emphasizes kicks and punches thrown from a mobile stance. Taekwondo training generally includes a system of blocks, kicks, punches, and open-handed strikes and may also include various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and joint locks. Pressure points, known as jiapsul, are used, as well as grabbing self-defense techniques borrowed from other martial arts such as Japanese Judo, Korean Hapkido, and Korean wrestling or Ssireum.
In the Korean language, tae (태, 跆) means "to strike or break with the foot"; kwon (권, 拳) means "to strike or break with the fist"; and do (도, 道) means "way of life". Thus, taekwondo may be loosely translated as "the way of the foot and the hand."
Taekwondo Styles
Among the styles of taekwondo commonly practiced are:
- International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) style. This is the first "unified" style of taekwondo developed by the Korean Taekwondo Association (KTA) under the leadership of General Choi Hong Hi in 1955 (with the ITF association being founded in 1966). ITF taekwondo is considered "unified" because it united the nine separate martial arts styles previously practiced by the Nine Kwans, the first nine Korean martial arts schools to emerge after World War II at the conclusion of the Japanese occupation of Korea. See main page International Taekwondo Federation (ITF).
- Patterns: ITF taekwondo practices chang hon patterns.
- Spin-offs: Currently, there are three organizations worldwide that call themselves the International Taekwon-Do Federation.
- World Taekwon-do Federation (WTF) also known as Olympic style taekwondo. After the ITF headquarters was moved to Vienna, Austria the Korean Taekwondo Association in conjuction with the Kukkiwon established WTF as a second "unified" style of taekwondo. WTF taekwondo places additional emphasis on taekwondo specifically as a sport. See main page World Taekwondo Federation (WTF).
- Forms: WTF taekwondo practices taegeuk forms. Previously it practiced palgwae forms.
- In the United States, American Tae Kwon Do Association (ATA) taekwondo is also popular. ATA taekwondo was first established in 1969 as a private taekwondo school in Omaha, Nebraska by a former taekwondo teacher in the Korean military (Haeng Ung Lee) who emigrated to the United States. It has since established franchises across the U.S. See main page American Taekwondo Association (ATA).
- Forms: ATA taekwondo practices songham forms.
- Spin-offs: the ATA has established international spin-offs called the Songham Taekwondo Federation (STF) and the World Traditional Taekwondo Union (WTTU).
Other Taekwondo organizations include Taekwondo America.
Defining Characteristics of Taekwondo
Kicking - As compared to other martial arts, all styles of taekwondo (but especially sport taekwondo) places heavy emphasis on kicking. This is predicated on the principle that legs are longer and stronger than arms and so should be more effective in combat. Taekwondo kicking is also often higher than other martial arts kicking, often aiming for head-height.
Twisting power - Another characteristic common to all forms of taekwondo is the user of "twisting power" particularly in blocks and punches. The idea here is that a block or a punch is faster, more powerful, and more accurate if the arm and hand are rotating through the movement. So for example punches start palm-up at the waist then finish palm-down at the target so that the fist is twisting to the target. Taekwondo practitioners compare this to the rifling motion of a bullet.
Action / reaction - Another characteristic of taekwondo is the notion (for example) that as one part of the body moves forward, another part should be moving backward. So for example when practicing punches, the non-punching hand (the off hand) will aim forward before the punch so that it can be pulled sharply backward during the punch. It is believed that this gives the punch additional power and "snap."
Narrow stance - Unlike many other martial arts, taekwondo prefers a narrow stance rather than a wide stance. Wide stances are believed to provide more stability, but taekwondo practitioners believe that wide stances also diminish your ability to turn quickly. Narrow stances facilitate turning the body quickly, which is especially important in taekwondo given its emphasis on spinning and jumping kicks.
Relax / strike - Taekwondo practitioners believe that one should relax the body before striking, then tense the relevant portions of the body during the strike. The premise is that this conserves energy (keeping one's muscles constantly tensed is tiring) and also improves power.
For ITF taekwondo, "sine wave" - The principle of relax / strike is taken further in some forms of ITF taekwondo, in that it is believed that the body should be raised before strikes or blocks, then lowered during the strike or block to improve power. Conversely, WTF taekwondo practitioners favor a constant-height approach to taekwondo, with the top of the head ideally maintained at the same height between blocks and strikes.
Taekwondo Demonstrations
History of Taekwondo
According to the World Taekwondo Federation, "In the latter part of ancient times on the Korean peninsula, three kingdoms were rivaling among them for the hegemony. They were Koguryo, Paekje and Shilla all indulged in growing national strength with trained warriors. Therefore, the Korean history tells that there were military personalities among the well-known prominent national leaders of the three kingdoms, which proves the military tendency of ruling hierarchy. As a result, youth warriors were organized, such as "Hwarangdo" in Shilla and "Chouisonin" in Koguryo, which both adopted martial art training as one of the important subjects of learning. A known martial art book of the days, called "Muyedobo-Tongji" wrote "Taekwondo is the basis of martial art, enabling one to build strength by using the hand and foot freely and training arms and legs as well as the body to adaptable to any critical situations," which means Taekwondo was already prevalent in that age. Thus, it can be easily assumed that Taekwondo was originated from the days of tribal communities on the Korean peninsula."
According to Wikipedia, the "Northern Goguryeo kingdom was a dominant force in Northern Korea and North Eastern China prior to the 1st century CE, and again from the 3rd century to the 6th century. Before the fall of the Goguryeo Dynasty in the 6th century, the Shilla Kingdom asked for help in training its people for defense against pirate invasions. During this time a few select Silla warriors were given training in taekkyeon by the early masters from Goguryeo. These Shilla warriors then became known as the Hwarang. The Hwarang set up a military academy for the sons of royalty in Silla called Hwarang-do, which means "the way of flowering manhood." The Hwarang studied taekkyeon, history, Confucian philosophy, ethics, Buddhist morality, social skills, and military tactics. The guiding principles of the Hwarang warriors were based on Won Gwang's five codes of human conduct and included loyalty, filial duty, trustworthiness, valor, and justice. Taekkyeon spread throughout Korea as the Hwarang traveled all around the peninsula to learn about the other regions and people.
In spite of Korea's rich history of ancient and martial arts, Korean martial arts faded into obscurity during the late Joseon Dynasty. Korean society became highly centralized under Korean Confucianism, and martial arts were poorly regarded in a society whose ideals were epitomized by its scholar-kings. Formal practices of traditional martial arts such as subak and taekkyeon were reserved for sanctioned military uses. However, taekkyeon persisted into the 19th century as a folk game during the May-Dano festival, and was still taught as the formal military martial art throughout the Joseon Dynasty.
Early progenitors of taekwondo who were able to study in Japan were exposed to Japanese martial arts, including karate, judo, and kendo, while others were exposed to the martial arts of China and Manchuria, as well as to the indigenous Korean martial art of taekkyeon.
When the Japanese occupation of Korea ended in 1945, Korean martial arts schools (kwans) began to open in Korea. There are differing views on the origins of the arts taught in these schools. Some believe that they taught martial arts that were based primarily upon the traditional Korean martial arts taekkyeon and subak, while others believe that taekwondo was derived from native Korean martial arts with influences from neighboring countries. Still others believe that these schools taught arts that were almost entirely based upon karate.
In 1952, at the height of the Korean War, there was a martial arts exhibition in which the kwans displayed their skills. In one demonstration, Nam Tae Hi smashed 13 roof tiles with a punch. Following this demonstration, South Korean President Syngman Rhee instructed Choi Hong Hi to introduce the martial arts to the Korean army. By the mid-1950s, nine kwans had emerged. Syngman Rhee ordered that the various schools unify under a single system. The name "taekwondo" was submitted by either Choi Hong Hi (of the Oh Do Kwan) or Duk Sung Son (of the Chung Do Kwan), and was accepted on April 11, 1955. As it stands today, the nine kwans are the founders of taekwondo, though not all of the kwans used the name. The Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) was formed in 1959-1961 to facilitate the unification.
In the early 1960s, taekwondo made its début worldwide with assignment of the original masters of taekwondo to various countries. Standardization efforts in South Korea stalled, as the kwans continued to teach differing styles. Another request from the Korean government for unification resulted in the formation of the Korea Tae Soo Do Association, which changed its name back to the Korea Taekwondo Association in 1965 following a change of leadership. The International Taekwon-Do Federation was founded in 1966, followed by the World Taekwondo Federation in 1973.
Since 2000, taekwondo has been one of only two Asian martial arts (the other being judo) that are included in the Olympic Games. It became a demonstration event at the 1988 games in Seoul, and became an official medal event at the 2000 games in Sydney. In 2010, taekwondo was accepted as a Commonwealth Games sport.
One source estimated that as of 2009, taekwondo was practiced in 123 countries, with over 30 million practitioners and 3 million individuals with black belts throughout the world. The South Korean government in the same year published an estimate of 70 million practitioners in 190 countries."
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